epirubicin + fluorouracil + hydroxycamptothecin + ethiodized oil

This combination therapy is a chemoembolization regimen used primarily for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It consists of three cytotoxic agents—epirubicin, fluorouracil, and hydroxycamptothecin—emulsified with ethiodized oil (Lipiodol). The regimen is administered via transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), where the mixture is injected directly into the hepatic artery supplying the tumor. Epirubicin acts as a DNA intercalator and topoisomerase II inhibitor; fluorouracil is an antimetabolite that inhibits thymidylate synthase; and hydroxycamptothecin is a topoisomerase I inhibitor. The ethiodized oil serves as a radio-opaque contrast agent and a delivery vehicle that facilitates the localized retention of the chemotherapy drugs within the tumor vasculature while simultaneously inducing arterial occlusion (embolization). This specific protocol was developed and extensively studied by the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital in Shanghai, China.

Other names

FEH regimenFEH-TACEepirubicin + fluorouracil + hydroxycamptothecin + Lipiodol